Jean Runyon, Sacramento's legendary public relations master, who used incomparable connections and irresistible charm to rake in publicity for clients and millions of dollars for charity for more than half a century, died Saturday. She was 82.

She died at the Sacramento home of one of her grandchildren, where she was staying after living in recent years with her daughter, Liz Mulligan, in Hood. Cause of death was complications from a series of illnesses, longtime business partner Estelle Saltzman said.

Runyon was chairwoman of Runyon, Saltzman & Einhorn Inc., which she founded in 1960 after launching her career in a borrowed Skid Row office in Old Sacramento. She grew the firm into a public relations powerhouse located in a gleaming Capitol Mall building overlooking the Sacramento River.

Her clients were movers and shakers in every field, from government and industry to the arts and the Sacramento Kings. Strong connections to business, political and media elites made her indispensable to corporate and elected officials.

"Everybody took her call, on both sides of the political aisle," said Sandra Smoley, a former Sacramento County supervisor and California secretary of health and welfare under Republican Gov. Pete Wilson. "You went to Jean if you wanted to get anything done or be introduced to anyone."

Runyon also gave back to the community through philanthropy, donating much of her time to work for charity and nonprofit groups. She helped raise tens of millions of dollars for local causes, especially the arts and theater organizations. She started the local Make-a-Wish Foundation and served on the board of countless civic groups.

Her public service won her many awards, including 1988 Sacramentan of the Year from the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. In 1997, the city renamed Little Theater in Memorial Auditorium for Runyon, who performed there years ago as a semiprofessional actress.

"Jean had everyone's ear, but she did more for the people she approached than we could ever repay her for," said former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin. "If someone approached her on the street for a favor, she would do it. She never turned anyone down."

In a gray government town where power and influence matter, Runyon stood out with gracious manners and a colorful personality. She had wide eyes, a radiant smile and a breathy voice that evoked actress Carol Channing. Her down-to-earth charm won her many loyal clients and friends.

"People often are so surgical about making connections," said Sacramento State communications professor Barbara O'Connor. "It's all about 'what serves my interest' or 'how will this translate into something for me.' Jean didn't care about any of that. She genuinely cared about people."

Runyon also played hardball. When another PR firm beat her out on a major contract to market Sacramento International Airport – an account she had held for nine years – Runyon raised objections about the decision process and used her clout to get the Board of Supervisors to reopen the bid. Ultimately, she won the contract.

But few held a grudge against the hard-driving businesswoman with a sense of whimsy revealed by wearing a bunny costume at Easter and delivering candy. For many years, Runyon also dressed as a witch at Halloween, climbed atop her roof and cackled with glee while tossing candy to trick-or-treaters.

"Whatever cause she took on, she was just motivated to reach out to people," said Monsignor Brendan O'Sullivan, her spiritual adviser. "She got that from her parents."

An only child, Jean Hamilton was born in 1927 in Concordia, Kan. She inherited a tireless work ethic and will to succeed from her father, Brutus Hamilton, a silver-medal decathlete at the 1920 Olympics who coached the USA track team at the 1936 Games in Berlin and became a legendary coach at UC Berkeley. Her theatrical flair was influenced by her mother, Rowena, who encouraged her acting talent.

She studied drama at UC Berkeley during World War II but left to try to break into Hollywood. She returned to college and married Mercer Runyon, a Courtland rancher, in 1948. They settled in Sacramento and reared two children, Stephen and Liz.

Jean Runyon got started in public relations in the 1950s while promoting theater parties for Music Circus. She met theater patron and Sacramento Bee executive Eleanor McClatchy, who asked for her help with Music Circus publicity. McClatchy began recommending Runyon to other clients, and Runyon opened her firm.

Blazing a trail for women in business, she enjoyed the irony of being chosen 1962 "PR Man of the Year" by the Sacramento Public Relations Roundtable. She was the first woman named to Sutter Health's board and the Rotary Club in Sacramento. She won the 2003 Athena Award for mentoring businesswomen.

In addition to success, however, Runyon had heartbreaking losses. Her husband died in 1970, the same year her father died and she underwent surgery for breast cancer.

She was married and widowed three more times. Her second husband, Philip Tow, an air-pollution control engineer, died in 1986 from an accidental drug overdose while being treated for prostate cancer at Sutter Hospital. A marriage to Eugene Graham, a public radio board member, ended with his death in 1991. Her fourth husband, retired insurance executive Jack Murphy, died in 2003.

Runyon weathered pain with strong faith and the support of friends. She remained active in the community even as fragile health slowed her pace in recent years.

"Jean was a unifying force," O'Sullivan said. "She was able to cross divides and see the strength and uniqueness of characters she met.

"She could really rise above the things that normally divide people and see the value of the human individual."

Call The Bee's Robert D. Dávila, (916) 321-1077.